The 21 best hidden bars in Sydney

Letra House is an underground wine bar from the team behind Ragazzi and Palazzo Salato. It’s located on Kent Street in Sydney’s CBD – but you won’t see it from the street. Instead, follow the cobblestone footpath underneath the archway and turn left. There, you’ll see an 1860s heritage building that once housed the Sydney HQ of the London-based Letraset company. A small, neon-pink angel marks the spot. You’ve arrived. From sexy date nights to hours-long catch-ups, this is the spot.

The city’s theatre district has finally welcomed the bar it deserves – and it comes in the form of Folio, a timelessly opulent, velvet-trimmed space hidden beneath Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre. Inspired by the moody speakeasies and effortlessly glamorous theatre bars of NYC, Folio isn’t just a pre-show pit stop – it’s a genuinely on-point bar worthy of a spot on your happy hour hit list, irrespective of your interest in attending a show.

Is it a seamstresses workshop? No! It's Stitch, a CBD basement bar that's been doing its thing since 2011. Whisky is a big part of the offering, with plenty of bourbon and rye to back it up. A carb-heavy carte that trades in hot dogs, burgers, tacos and fried mac-and-cheese balls knows exactly what buttons to push, and a selection of vatted cocktails make for a very spirited finish. It's no stitch-up.

Sydney’s Eau de Vie serves up classy signature cocktails in a dark, speakeasy-style setting with flashes of razzle dazzle. And while the address says George Street, you enter via Wynyard Lane. Eau de Vie isn’t just about the excellent cocktails, or the glam secret setting, or the delicious snacks – it’s a whole multisensory experience. If you're looking for an out-of-the-ordinary night out, this is it. That's if you can find it, of course.

As far as dramatic entrances go, the Cumberland makes quite an impression. The secret is out, sure, but that doesn't make pulling open the original 1920s fridge door at Manly's Cove Deli any less exciting. Behind it is an operation that has spared absolutely no expense, and soaking in all the elements – the painstakingly handcrafted leather banquettes, original turn-of-the-century brass beer taps – is much of the fun. The rest lies in clever concoctions inspired by Australia's history, the quirky toilets and the unexpected exit.

Found in a dark and moody basement on Clarence Street, Old Loves is a hidden Caribbean-inspired rum bar by the team behind legendary Sydney bar Old Mate’s Place. Come for the 320-strong rum list and seasonal Daiquiris made from market-fresh fruit, like the highly smashable Mango, Pandan and Coconut Daiquiri.

Part general store and wine bar, part speakeasy-style tropical cocktail bar, Huelo sure is shaking things up along King Street. The multifaceted operation is the child of two Sydney hospitality heavyweights – Dre Walters from Old Mate’s Place, and Ginny’s Canoe Club, and Swan 'Swanny' Kanongataa from the Rover and Bistecca – so know that your drinks are in good hands. At the front of the booze operation is the general store and wine bar selling goodies Nonna would love. But hidden at the back behind a door is a speakeasy-style 12-seater tropical cocktail bar with its own sunny courtyard. Come here in the afternoon (or late at night) for fun and fruity cocktails.

You’ll find Sydney favourite Burrow Bar hidden in the basement on the corner of Clarence and Barrack Streets (they previously were found hidden along an alleyway off George Street). The cocktails are killer, the team is great, and it's a top spot to escape Sydney’s hustle and bustle, albeit for a few glorious hours.

Clarence Street is Sydney's unofficial headquarters for tip-top watering holes hidden in plain sight, and Lobo is one of the originals. The only giveaway might be the echo of Cuban rhythms snaking their way up the spiral stairs. Follow them, and be rewarded with lots and lots of top-shelf rum shaken and stirred by a crack team that sweats the details. Turns out the spirit of Old Havana is and well. 

In the basement of a heritage warehouse in Sydney’s CBD you’ll find a Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar named for the ill-fated wife of Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 mobster masterpiece, The Godfather. But don’t let that put you off. For those of us who have been lying about having seen The Godfather their whole lives, good news. Every page of the drinks menu will run you through the storyline (spoilers lie within, but it’s literally been 50 years) so you can impress your date with cinematic knowledge while sipping on top tipples.

Here's one for those who believe in the journey just as much as the destination. To reach Door Knock, you'll need to conquer two steep flights of concrete stairs (is this further underground than Town Hall Station?) and a very long hallway. You no longer need to knock three times when you arrive at the door with a brass pineapple, but you'll still feel like you've really earned that cocktail when you set foot in the place.

This standing-room-only bar, hidden down the end of a dark alleyway, shakes and pours some of Sydney’s best Margaritas. It’s also really tiny, so either come early or late – or be prepared to wait in a queue. As well as Margs, the bar stocks rare tequilas and mezcals from Mexico, so there’s plenty of fun to be had.

The Marble Bar, underground the Hilton Sydney hotel, turned 132 in 2025. It’s hard to believe Sydney has any bars that are this old, right? Pubs, sure? But bars! The lavish fit-out makes the place feel like a time capsule. It is, indeed, clad in marble, with elaborate pillars and archways throughout. The ceilings are designed with ornate plaster detail, coated in gold. The bars are made from polished mahogany. And a collection of French realist-style paintings by Julian Ashton, commissioned in the late 1800s for a record-breaking sum, line the walls in gilded frames. The space is divine, and we say you can’t really call yourself a true Sydneysider until you’ve at least stopped by for a cocktail. But our favourite part of Marble Bar is that it’s long been a champion for live music. Across the week, they feature live bands on their raised stage, plus DJ acts on various nights.

Old Mate calls the 'hidden' bet and raises it – literally – with a killer bar and cracking rooftop at the peak of an otherwise unmarked building. You'll need to scale 102 steps or a lift ride tinged with anticipation, but they're small prices to pay for serious cocktails crafted by some of the best in the biz. Whether you're here to canoodle in a candlelit booth beneath the stacks of old library books or snag a coveted spot on the compact rooftop makes no difference; you can't go wrong either way.

If you're one of the very few people who don't know that Betta Meats on the south end of King Street in Newtown is no longer a butcher, you do now. The vintage patina conceals one of the Inner West's treasures and one of the friendliest bar teams in town. Settle in for a Sazerac at the long timber bar, and it won't be long before the eternal charms of this New Orleans-inspired neighbourhood joint cast their spell. 

Sydney’s fervour for this candle-lit basement bar with a whisky collection extensive enough to stop even collectors dead in their tracks has yet to slacken. Head down the alley, turn right and right again, then take the stairs straight down. The apocalypse could well be happening outside and you'd have absolutely no idea, so transportive is atmosphere below the city streets, complete with vintage prizefighter portraits and soaked in the sounds of jazz and blues. 

If we had to credit one bar with the revival of the speakeasy, it might very well be Employees Only. The original opened in New York back in 2004, with nothing but a neon 'Psychic' sign to clue the thirsty. In the decade-plus since, the celebrated cocktail bar has opened outlets in major cities across the world, and we got a taste when our very own 'Psychic' sign lit up for the first time at the end of 2018. Excellent cocktails are to be expected, and there's a 1.2-kilogram tomahawk steak special ($99) from Tuesday to Thursday each week.

Even if you look up Papa Gede's on your phone, chances are you'll wander into the wrong laneway or look past the cobblestones into the dark tunnel off Kent Street and wonder whether there's actually anything there. Keep walking and you'll find laidback tiki bar that'll cast a real spell on you thanks to great chat and an even greater Zombie. 

Look for the sliver of a sign with the silhouettes of three skulls (they're co-owners Sebastian "Cosmo" Soto, Dardan Shervashidze and Charlie Lehmann). That's the only indication there's something happening behind a nondescript door. And boy, it is really happening down in this dive bar dreams are made of. Cognac is the calling card, as are the various live bands booked across the week.